A program funded by Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation.
This was a joint program of Stefan Batory Foundation and German Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future launched in 2007 to support international volunteers projects aimed to protect European cultural heritage in borderland regions of Central and Eastern Europe. The goal of the program was to provide young people with practical and theoretical experience in protection and conservation of monuments and in the course of their collaborative effort enable them to learn different aspects of history and culture of their region.
The program offered grants for projects related to preservation of common European cultural heritage implemented by groups of young volunteers (age 18-28) recruited from at least three countries: Poland, Germany and Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania or Kaliningrad District.
The grant competition was open to Polish organizations that demonstrate experience in preservation and promotion of European cultural heritage and a history of cooperation with young people (volunteers, interns). Priority was given to the organizations that have partners in Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania or Kaliningrad District. The Batory Foundation could invite also Ukrainian organizations to apply in the competition.
The qualifying organizations could apply for grants (up to 20 000 EUR) for international volunteers work camps (2-4 weeks long) taking place in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania or Kaliningrad District. The projects implemented by volunteers might include restoration and minor conservation of monuments, pieces of art, old graveyards; organization of cultural events (festivals, exhibitions, concerts); classification of documents in the archives (in libraries and museums); documentation of traces of cultural past, interviews with local people; development of flyers and brochures on local monuments as well as strategies of using cultural heritage in promotion of local development. All projects must include an educational element (e.g. acquisition of knowledge or concrete skills in conservation of monuments and cultural heritage preservation) as well as an element of cooperation with local community (e.g. joint actions with local organizations or groups of residents, esp. youth, cooperation with local media, organization of cultural or educational events for local people, meeting with local leaders: teachers, businessmen, priests, councillors, mayors, etc).
